camp STRANGE LIGHT &. hunting practice

[TOADHOP]

He's had a lazy day, today.

His mentor, Stonepool, gave him the day off from training, and while he's grateful for the break, he can't help the boredom that grows as the day goes on. He needs something to do, fast.

Deep blue eyes scan the camp for an opportunity - a sibling to talk to, chores to be done, an elder sharing stories. None of that catches his eye, though, his mind distracted by a sight found out of the corner of his eye.

A flickering on the ground. Sunlight high above the trees, leaves casting shadows that shift with the wind. Pretty. Blinking, the boy pads closer to the spots of light, watching it for a moment with a tilted head.

There! An idea!

Toadpaw crouches down, creeping even closer to the flickers. Closer and closer, until...

"Ha!" he squeaks out, leaping forward to try to catch the light between his paws. Paws land within one of the light spots, and Toadpaw hops up in triumph. "Got you!"

It isn't long before he's crouched down again, creeping toward the next spot. Finally! Some fun!
​

 

[covecatcher]

Returning from a patrol was Covecatcher, a mouse held in her jaws as she converses with her clanmates through nods and shakes of her head. All in all, Cove thinks its been a pretty successful patrol as she stifles a giggle from a comment another cat made, moving to drop the mouse on the pile. She's glad that the whole dog fiasco is over, being able to spread her legs in the forest was just fantastic in her world.

Something moving catches her eye and she tilts her head, doing a double-take before a smile crosses her lips. Just an apprentice with too much time on their paws, but she doesn't blame... any of them, because she most certainly would be doing the same thing if she was able to. "Hi there, little warrior! What are you up to?" she'd chirp as she tears herself away from the pile, padding in Toadpaws direction. "You want some advice, sweetpea?" she blinks down warmly, curling a fluffy tail over her paws as she sits to watch. Regardless of what he said, Cove didn't have much to do, so she was here to bother the apprentices. Her whiskers twitch in amusement.​

✦ ★ ✦​

 

[BERRYHEART]

It was the Collector's voice that caught his attention, the kind way she chirped- though what had grasped her interest soon gained Berryheart's, too. An apprentice, chasing after flickers of light- a fine game, if not a little kit-like. Still, after the stress of the colder moons he could not blame any cat for wishing to unwind, especially if it was entertainment such as this- that truly could be educational. Bouncy seemed rather good at it, too- bounding on target, creeping as if staking a mouse.

The Collector's words had interested him, though. Advice. A white-toed paw motioned to the ground, encircling in a vague and invisible way one of the dancing dapples. "You're an expert?" It might have seemed a joke, but there was a sincere quality to the inquiry. Offering advice implied one was knowledgable... and the Collector had always seemed like she had a sharp mind. The art of hunting untouchable light seemed a pointless pursuit, but everything could be useful in its own way... and if it was knowledge he did not already possess, Berryheart would never refuse an opportunity to gain it. ​

PENNED BY PIN ☾​

 

[TOADHOP]

The boy has an audience now, something he notices half-way through his journey to the next spot of light. Toadpaw lands with stumbling feet, a cerulean gaze turning to look at Covecatcher. Little warrior, she'd called him, a term that brings a sense of pride to him. Yeah! He must be doing good, to be called that!

" 'M hunting!" he tells the actual warrior, "Stonepool said we don't have to train today, but that got boring!" Not that he wanted to do actual training today - this was more fun, more exciting, than doing the same moves over and over again.

"And the lights looked fun to hop on so..." the boy crouches down once more, aiming to hop to the next. A more graceful landing than last time, thank the stars. "See?" Covecatcher offers advice, and the brown tabby looks back at the warrior with a nod, wide eyed and ready to learn - whether he liked it or not. Berryheart's question causes him to tilt his head.

"Are you really an expert?" he asks, "Your name is Covecatcher so you must be, right?"
​